Ryan Murphy’s latest crime series, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, premieres on Netflix on October 3, 2025, exploring the dark life of the infamous serial killer Ed Gein. Gein terrorized women in his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, during the 1950s. As highlighted by Baltimore Chronicle, the series delves deeply into his disturbing actions and troubled psyche, showing viewers how his childhood shaped a notorious criminal. Gein’s story has inspired Hollywood before. Classic films such as Psycho (1960), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) all drew from his crimes. Ryan Murphy has also explored other real-life killers in his previous Monster installments, including Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers.
Troubled Upbringing of Ed Gein
Ed Gein’s childhood played a major role in shaping his dark tendencies. According to a 1957 TIME magazine story, he grew up in a remote farmhouse in Plainfield, Wisconsin, without electricity or plumbing. His mother instilled in him a deep hatred of women, often reading Bible stories during rainstorms, predicting that another flood would wash out women’s sins. This upbringing caused Gein to avoid romantic relationships and instead immerse himself in anatomy books. The death of his mother in 1945 left him devastated, which contributed to his later psychological decline.
Grave-Robbing and Murders
Ed Gein, 51, came to national attention in 1957 for the murder of Bernice Worden, a local sales clerk. He also admitted to killing Mary Hogan, a tavern-keeper who had gone missing three years earlier. TIME described Gein’s farmhouse as a “chamber of horrors.” Bernice Worden’s body was strung up by the heels, eviscerated, and dressed out like a deer. Her severed head was in a cardboard box; her heart in a plastic bag on the stove. The house contained ten human headskins, assorted pieces of human skin, some preserved between magazine pages, made into belts, or used to upholster chairs. A box of noses and other human remains were also discovered.
Gein tracked obituaries to locate graves, robbing them for body parts—including his mother’s grave—and in one case, taking an entire corpse. Unlike some killers, he was neither a necrophiliac nor a cannibal; he preserved the remains simply to observe them.
Mental Illness and Legal Outcome
Gein claimed to be in a daze during his killings and grave-robbing. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, with psychiatrists concluding that he mutilated women resembling his deceased mother to preserve her presence and to act out his frustrations. Because of his mental illness, Gein pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He spent the remainder of his life confined in psychiatric hospitals and died in 1984 at the age of 77.
Key Facts About Ed Gein
Here are the main facts about Ed Gein’s life and crimes:
- Born: 1906, La Crosse County, Wisconsin
- Crimes: Murder, grave-robbing, body mutilation
- Victims: Bernice Worden, Mary Hogan, and several exhumed corpses
- Psychological Diagnosis: Schizophrenia
- Death: 1984, psychiatric hospital, age 77
- Pop Culture Influence: Inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs
These details show how Gein’s actions influenced both true crime media and Hollywood horror, cementing his place in criminal history.
Why Watch Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story
- Explores the psychology of one of America’s most infamous killers.
- Connects historical facts to cultural influence in horror films.
- Offers dramatization that remains close to documented events.
- Provides insight into the origins of a criminal mind and its influence on pop culture.
- Appeals to both true crime enthusiasts and horror fans.
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